Festival Of The Spoken Nerd: Just For Graphs, On tour
While it might have seemed appropriate when they started out, the name of this trio now seems a little out of date. Because, while a comedy show focused on science might once have seemed nerdy, now – with performers as disparate as Dara O Briain, Rob Newman and Helen Keen presenting shows on the subject on radio and TV – mixing lab coats with punchlines seems like the height of comic fashion. The FSN team (mathematician Matt Parker, ukulele-strumming physics nut Helen Arney and former Blue Peter science expert Steve Mould) offer a take on the subject that maxes out on engagement and fun. As well as stand-up segments on their respective disciplines, they carry out live experiments that bring a sense of what’s-going-to-go-wrong silliness to what could otherwise be a dry subject. The comic chemistry on display between the three (of the most organic kind) means it’s a pleasure to spend an evening in their hugely well-qualified company.
Sarah Millican: Outsider, On tour
It used to be the case that certain blokes, while maintaining that women were incapable of being stand-ups, would make an exception for Jo Brand. These days, that role is held by Sarah Millican. When she first emerged, she came across as a demure, schoolteacherish type, telling filthy tales about life in her native South Shields. In the years since, she has transformed into a self-possessed superstar whose material demonstrates self-confidence, a willingness to rejoice in discussing the most personal of issues with her audience and a refusal to apologise for any of it. What’s remained a constant is the filth: Millican is one of the most candid and unfettered performers on the circuit, and it’s not hyperbolic to suggest that all this entertains her audience while empowering them at the same time.
Harry Enfield & Paul Whitehouse: Legends! On tour
It’s an odd position that Harry and Paul have found themselves in: too unorthodox for the comfy status of BBC family favourites, but too familiar to be championed by the alternative crowd. Nevertheless, it’s time to applaud their 30-year commitment to creating top-quality character comedy. The fact that some disdain them for “catchphrase humour” is a testament to how durable their ideas are. Furthermore, where many of their 1980s peers have gone on to rake in the cash from documentaries and “proper acting”, these two continue to bash out awkwardly, sometimes ornery, un-PC but constantly fresh and funny sketch comedy. This highly unexpected live tour allows us all to pay tribute.
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